I worry about the lack of depth on the Liverpool bench

Who will win the Champions League final?
Real Madrid are just too big. This is a team who have proved they have the hunger to win this competition, so rest assured they’ll be out to make history by winning the trophy for a third time in a row. People all over Europe have a soft spot for Liverpool but don’t let emotion cloud your judgement. I worry about the Reds if Salah gets stopped and I worry about the lack of depth on the bench.

Champions League final preview

What’s your best bet for the game in any market?
Everyone expects a goal feast but it may pay to go the other way. It has been hot in Kiev and although matchday is likely to be cooler, it will be a tense occasion. Real will be looking to draw the sting out of the underdogs. These matches are where a team like Real demonstrate their knowhow, their experience, and I’m expecting under 3.5 goals.

Champions League final specials

Who do you fancy for the Championship playoff final?
I’ve liked Villa from the off. Fulham have been winning admirers for the way they play but the Championship playoff final is about discipline and shape not style and swagger and that’s where Villa excel. Any side featuring Mile Jedinak and John Terry and managed by Steve Bruce is going to have the required level of nous, and I’m taking the three of them to be going back to the big time.

Championship playoff final preview

What about Sunday's League One promotion-decider?
This is a final you wouldn’t have picked a while back. Shrewsbury, among the favourites for the drop, against Rotherham, a team who dropped out of the Championship last season in dismal style. They look the brighter side and won the most recent game between the teams. Shrewsbury’s loss in the EFL Trophy final could play on their minds too.

And who do you think will win the League Two final on Monday?
Fans don’t win you matches but massive support may well give Coventry a decent edge over Exeter. The Grecians were at Wembley last year and blew it and Coventry can play on that. It was an indifferent season for City but they finished well and can take that positivity into the biggest game they’ll have played for a decade and more.

Where will Arsenal finish under Unai Emery next season?
I doubt they’ll make the top four. I find the appointment a strange one and I think Arsenal missed a trick not getting someone like Patrick Vieira or Eddie Howe. You can’t overstate the importance of having a knowledge of the league you’re coming into and Emery will find this tough. He could be on a hiding to nothing.

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